Lane Head Nursery School: play, stories and family connections

Indoor explorers and outdoor enthusiasts both have room to follow their interests at Lane Head. A free-flow learning environment and the Can Do approach shape the nursery’s character: children learn through planned activities and spontaneous play, with staff observing their interests to guide the early years curriculum.

This is Lane Head Nursery School on High Road in Willenhall, with a team working within Short Heath Federation. Provision includes universal and eligible working-family places for three- and four-year-olds. From September 2026, Time2Start also covers eligible families with two-year-olds, extending the nursery’s starting point to younger children.

Play provides the starting point for learning. Staff listen to children and watch what interests them, then use those observations in planning. The free-flow arrangement accommodates children who prefer learning outside as well as those drawn to indoor activities. Children are encouraged to develop at their own pace.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together learning to communicate, manage feelings and move confidently with early reading, mathematics, creativity and understanding the world. Lane Head’s teaching sequences cover these areas, so the curriculum reaches beyond letters and numbers. The emphasis is on children’s development across several connected kinds of learning.

Twinkl Phonics is the named reading programme. Alongside it, seasonal Treasured Texts give families stories to explore, including Superworm and The Three Little Pigs in the summer selection. That gives parents concrete books to share rather than a general instruction to read more.

Reading continues through 1000 Stories Shared at Home. Children borrow a book from the project’s trolley for a week, explore its language and characters with their family, and receive a stamp when they return it. The Weekend Cuddly adds another connection: a family-group toy goes home by rota, with photographs shared through SEESAW for children to discuss with their group afterwards.

Before children start, families are invited to visit, meet the team and share information about their child. This gives the first conversations a practical purpose: helping staff get to know the child before nursery begins.

SEESAW supports continuing contact. Parents can send photographs, videos and messages securely to their child’s group leader, and nursery sets home activities fortnightly. Family involvement also includes creative events; a Mother’s Day session used printing, collage and planting, giving adults and children activities to try together.

For children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), families can contact the nursery’s SENCO directly through the school. The longer funded session includes lunchtime within its hours, which matters when planning the child’s day around work.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet its deadline. Treat choosing a nursery and applying for Reception as separate decisions.

For three- and four-year-olds, the universal 15-hour offer uses either mornings, 8:45am to 11:45am, or afternoons, 12:45pm to 3:45pm. Eligible working families can take a 30-hour place, with sessions running from 8:45am to 2:45pm. Eligibility codes are required for the working-family offer and Time2Start.

Applications go by admission form to nurseryadmissions@shortheathfederation.org.uk. The same email handles nursery enquiries. Sweatshirts are sold through Clive Mark Crested School Wear and the uniform stall at Willenhall Market, giving families two purchase routes.